Experts dissecting the computer worm suspected of being aimed at Iran’s nuclear program have determined that it was precisely calibrated in a way that could send nuclear centrifuges wildly out of control.
Their conclusion, while not definitive begins to clear some of the fog around the Stuxnet worm, a malicious program detected earlier this year in computers, primarily in Iran, but also in India, Indonesia and other countries.
Computer analysts say Stuxnet does its damage by making quick changes in the rotational speed of motors, shifting them rapidly up and down. According to the nuclear analysts, these fluctuations are a recipe for disaster among the thousands of centrifuges spinning in Iran to enrich uranium, which can fuel reactors or bombs.
In a spooky flourish, the worm ends the attack with a command to restore the currents to the perfect operating frequency for the centrifuges - which by that time would presumably be destroyed.
One of the most sospisticated pieces of malware ever detected was probably targeting "high value" infrastrucure in Iran, experts have told the BBC.